Reaching 10,000 African Students with Drones and STEM Education

By Zimbabwe Flying Labs

We believe that bringing technology into the classroom is one of the best ways to nurture innovation, unlock new learning styles, inspire creativity and engage young learners in a meaningful and memorable way.

At the beginning of 2022, we sat down as a team. We decided to set an audacious goal to reach 10,000 young learners across Zimbabwe and the rest of Africa with our technology in education programs over the next five years.

Once we set out this big goal, we began seeking ways to scale our highly successful holiday camps into a fully-fledged technology education program. We started reaching out to local schools, and so far, we have been able to take our Drones in Education course to a local primary school and establish our 1st Drone Club. The Drone Club is an afterschool program that runs one afternoon each week for eight weeks over a school term.

Our young learners received theoretical training as well as practical flight training. As a result, they could master drone pilot exercises and take on the different roles that form part of the Drone profession. We also covered the important aspects of knowing where and when it is safe to fly (e.g., the kitchen at home is out of bounds for drone flying).

As part of the learning experience, we introduced games that encourage teamwork, leadership, and collaboration. We divided the class into two vibrant teams named: the 'Crazy Propellers' and the 'Eagles' rose to the challenge. The competition between the teams was stiff, with various tasks set up to test their abilities and understanding of Drone Technology operations. In the final session of the term, the Eagles team won the title after an intense tiebreaker!

Twelve young learners completed our Drones in STEM Education Beginners course over eight weeks 16 percent of the students were girls, and 70 percent of the participants flew a drone for the first time at the Drone Club.

Our drone clubs continue to draw interest from various schools, and we look forward to expanding the Drones in Education program to more schools across the country as we work towards reaching 10,000 young learners.